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Huffington PostMay 15, 2008Joan Garry points out the conservative reputation of the CA Supreme Court, and says, "We are reminded that when we make a strong case (thank you to NLCR, Lambda Legal and the ACLU) in front of fair minded judges, judges who are doing their jobs, judges who, regardless of who appointed them, evaluate cases with integrity , we win." (Link)

SlateMay 15, 2008Kenji Yoshino points out the landmark conclusions of the CA high court decision to uphold the freedom to marry: use of strict scrutiny, considering sexual orientation as a discriminatory class, how the CA court tends to lead the nation, etc. (Link)

New York TimesMay 16, 2008Evan Wolfson is quoted following the historic decision in CA to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage: “This decision will give Americans the lived experience that ending exclusion from marriage helps families and harms no one.” (Link)

The Bilerco ProjectMay 16, 2008Toni Broaddus discusses how the CA decision is historical and personal, how it influences the entire nation, and how we need to fight to defend marriage in CA given the pending discriminatory initiative which could be on the ballot in November 2008. (Link)

PrideSourceMay 15, 2008"I could not be happier," said Evan Wolfson. "This is the turning point. This is the absolute statement by the nation's most respected state supreme court, and a chief justice who is universally considered to be fair and cautious, affirming that the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage is wrong and must fall." (Link)

California Supreme Court Leads the Way Yet Again in Historic Ruling Upholding the Freedom to Marry

New York, May 15, 2008 —Earlier today, the California Supreme Court handed down a historic decision upholding the freedom to marry in In Re: Marriage Cases. The second state high court to rule in favor of ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage said, “in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right [marriage] to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples.”

“This righteous decision of this most respected state high court will give Americans the chance to experience what they've begun to see for the last few years in Massachusetts, South Africa, Canada, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands – the lived reality that ending exclusion from marriage helps families and harms no one,” said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry. “California's sun will illuminate the nation.”

The milestone California ruling comes as the country marks the 60th anniversary of another historic ruling, Perez v. Sharp. In Perez, the California Supreme Court became the first court in the country to strike down race restrictions on marriage, also by a vote of 4-3, at a time when polls showed 90% opposing interracial marriage. Wolfson noted, “Today, the justices of the California Supreme Court again lived up to their oath to uphold the Constitution for all, and as with their courageous past stands against discrimination in marriage, we will all be the better and history will vindicate them.”

Noting that opponents of equality have submitted signatures that may trigger a November vote on an anti-gay measure aimed at amending the state constitution to bar committed same-sex couples from the equal freedom to marry, Wolfson said, “Thanks to the Court's just decision, voters will get to make an informed decision, having the chance to see actual married couples and realize it is wrong to put obstacles in their path.”

San Jose Mercury NewsMay 14, 2008The justices today posted a notation on the court's Web site that the ruling in the civil rights challenge to the discriminatory marriage ban will be posted at 10 a.m. Thursday. (Link)

The AdvocateMay 13, 2008Sacramento, CA mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson, a retired NBA player, faced community opposition for his anti-marriage stance, the only candidate to take such a stance in the city's race. (Link)